Grain-Free Green-Ola

The other day, my friend Jen — who is one of those people with good taste, a quick laugh, and the neat trick of making being cool seem effortless — was raving about this stuff called Greenola. It’s a commercially-produced, grain-free granola with bits of kale included in the salty-sweet nuggets. She let me try a bite, and I agreed: it was delicious! But it was also pretty pricey for a very small container. After I took a look at the ingredients list, I was sure I could recreate a home version. Here it is: Grain-free kale granola with kale, a.k.a., Green-Ola!

This once-in-a-while snack has everything: crispy nuts, a touch of sweetness, a salty tang, and kale. What’s not to like?!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread kale on sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes or so, until crisp and just beginning to brown. Set aside to cool.

2

Coarsely chop the almonds and walnuts; place in a large mixing bowl. Add the pepitas, coconut flakes, and sesame seeds. In a small bowl, add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the melted coconut oil and stir to combine. (Mixing the spices with the melted fat makes the flavors “bloom.”) Add the vanilla extract to the coconut oil, then stir the liquid in to the nuts, tossing with a spatula until everything is combined and coated.

3

Spread the nuts on the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the dates and place in the large mixing bowl, along with the raisins. Remove the nuts from the oven and add to the bowl with the dried fruit. Mix to combine, then drizzle with the honey, and mix again. Add the crispy kale and mix one more time. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet, sprinkle with the salt, and return to the oven. Roast 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is crisp and toasty.

4

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely; it should get clumpy like granola. Store in an airtight container. Nibble and enjoy!

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All of my recipes are in the recipe index – http://meljoulwan.com/recipes-index – and the ones marked with asterisk (*) are NOT Whole30 approved. I always make my recipes compliant with the Whole30, unless specified otherwise. Happy cooking!

I’ve now made this several times, and as soon as it’s out of the oven, I can’t help standing over the hot pan and eating handful after handful. I love getting to use kale in a different manner than my usual. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!

This was fantastic! A great snack for the car or to keep in an office drawer. I also even ate with homemade almond milk in the mornings!
My only change for next time is to make sure I use only the leafy part of the kale. The stalks got rather tough and chewy. Definitely will make again. Thank you again, your guidance and recipes make the paleo lifestyle much easier 🙂

Wow! So I made this tonight, and seriously, it’s SO good. Even my 9-year-old agrees! I wanted to let you know also that I’ve been in LOVE with your new book! I’ve learned some many new cooking techniques and flavors. I LOVE IT! Thank you!!!!

Wow, I seriously JUST saw the commercial Greenola on another blog and was about to order some. I should have known to check here first for a homemade version! Thanks for saving me money 😉 I’ll report back after I try and make some this weekend. YUM!

I *think* that this one would be Whole30 compliant, but the Whole30 rules exclude vanilla extract because of the alcohol and sugar that are usually in the ingredients list. This one is alcohol and sugar free. https://www.singingdogvanilla.com/p/AFVF002.html It’s also available on Amazon.

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